All-purpose flour

Buttery sweet shortcrust shell filled with silky lemon curd. Sharp, bright, and not too sweet. The tart that I made for my pastry school final.

Chicken braised in an entire bottle of Burgundy. The French answer to boredom. Takes 4 hours and cannot be rushed.

The extra step of browning the butter adds a toasty, nutty depth that elevates these from good to obsession-worthy.

The upside-down apple tart that was supposedly invented by accident. The caramel is the whole point. Use a proper ovenproof skillet.

Four overripe bananas and brown butter. The loaf that actually improves every day for three days. Tested 14 times to get the crumb right.

Braised veal shanks with gremolata. One of Italy's greatest dishes. The marrow in the bone is the prize.

The original low-and-slow. Julia Child didn't invent this, she just made it approachable. Two-day version here — day one braise, day two it's perfect.

Coconut oil toasted until fragrant substitutes for brown butter almost perfectly. Flax eggs do the work. Tested 4 times.

Brush with oil and bake at 200C until golden. 40% less fat. Surprisingly good. The pastry doesn't quite blister the same way but it works.

Flaky pastry shells filled with spiced potato and peas. The fold is the hard part. The eating is the reward. Makes 20.

Roasted cherry tomatoes in a thyme and balsamic caramel. Gruyere in the pastry. Not dessert.

The Provencal cousin: add green olives, orange peel, and anchovy. Less Burgundy, more sun.